


To Mock A Mockingbird

by bracket (feetling)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-29
Packaged: 2018-04-22 13:04:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4836425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feetling/pseuds/bracket
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When asked about his job, Mingyu never actually answers. Oh, he would say, <i>I work freelance</i>. Or maybe: <i>I work in the private social sector</i>. Or even: <i>I'm a detective, like the ones you see on TV. Like Sherlock! Do you know Sherlock?</i> That one was his personal favourite. </p><p> </p><p>Or,</p><p> </p><p>The one where Mingyu is a private investigator, and Jihoon is his obnoxious pink-haired colleague.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. “They're ugly, but those are the facts of life.”

When asked about his job, Mingyu never actually answers.  _Oh_ , he would say,  _I work freelance_. Or maybe:  _I work in the private social sector_. Or even:  _I'm a detective, like the ones you see on the TV. Like Sherlock! Do you know Sherlock?_  That one was his personal favourite. This was because explaining what being a private investigator entailed was incredibly meddlesome.  _It doesn't involve stalking people_! Mingyu would insist if it was ever brought up.  _The job is really seventy per cent research_ , he would continue. He would then receive a sceptical look, and one less potential acquaintance.

Despite his own initial prejudices against being a private investigator, or a professional stalker, as he had taken to calling himself, Mingyu loved it. At least, this was what he told himself as he sat in his office at 1am, trying to hack into his client's company's databases to (hopefully) find evidence of the boss' supposed embezzlement.

"Yo, Mingyu."

Mingyu looked up, a scowl immediately taking position on his face at the sight of his colleague and competitor for the employee of the year title: Lee Jihoon.

"What do you want?" Mingyu asked flatly, eyes returning to the screen in front of him.

"Oh, nothing. Just checking to see how you're doing with your big Hungji case."

Jihoon was an asshole. Mingyu could not emphasize this enough. He was deceptively small, standing at the height of Mingyu's chin. Discounting that fact, he was also deceptively cute with a young face and round cheeks. But oh, Mingyu knew the truth about Jihoon. He could not count the number of times Jihoon had played 'friendly' pranks on him, such as dumping a packet of salt in his coffee, or taping his laptop to the bottom of his table, or loosening the screws in his chair, or-

Mingyu took a deep breath. "I'm doing fine," he replied, in what he hoped was a detached tone. Jihoon moved to peer over Mingyu's shoulder at the computer screen.

Did Mingyu mention that Jihoon had obnoxious pink hair? As if he wasn't enough of an asshole, he had to dye his hair the colour of one, while loudly proclaiming that  _people should stop attaching genders to colours, you fucking sexist_. No one could mock him for that hair colour after that. Mingyu had a particular grudge against his hair because it attached a label of 'cinnamon roll, too pure' to Jihoon, and as such, no one believed him when he complained of the evil that Jihoon unleashes upon him.

Maybe 'evil' was an exaggeration, but Mingyu could only handle so much salt in his coffee.

"Cut the MD5 algorithm in 1/4. Then you won't waste your time on the authentication page and maybe get to shower before sunrise."

Mingyu startled at the advice given. He didn't even think of doing that, and it was one of the first things he had been taught. He mentally berated himself, his fingers quickly typing nonetheless.

"…Thanks," Mingyu said grudgingly.

"No problem! Work hard, smelly," Jihoon replied cheerfully, ruffling Mingyu's hair and darting out of his office before he could retaliate.

One thing that Mingyu could not deny Jihoon of was the fact that he was incredibly hard working, and talented at what he did. He could crack systems in a fourth of the average time the employees at their company could- bar Mingyu on a good day, and was better at stake-outs than anyone else. Jihoon had the patience of a god, and Mingyu had personally heard people call him a god.

He didn't agree. Much.

The page on his computer screen blinked as access was authorised, and Mingyu whopped in delight, flinging his arms in the air with childish glee. He put the computer on sleep mode and grabbed his bag and phone, hell-bent on getting home and sleeping for a glorious five-and-a-half hours before repeating the daily grind. 

As he made his way to the lifts, he could not help but notice Jihoon hunched over his desk in his office, scribbling furiously in a notebook. Reluctantly, he knocked on the office door to get Jihoon's attention.

"Uh, maybe you should go home and get some rest. It's not really healthy t-"

"I'm fine," Jihoon interrupted, head still lowered.

Mingyu huffed with indignation at his goodwill being brushed aside. "Come on, it's really late, and some sleep would do you good."

"I said, I'm fine," Jihoon replied, voice strained, a one-eighty from a playful tone he had an hour earlier in Mingyu's office. Mingyu's forehead creased in concern, and he walked over to Jihoon, resting a hand on his shoulder.

Jihoon sighed exasperatedly and threw down his pen with a clatter as it hit the desk, looking up at Mingyu. "Why do you even care?"

Mingyu considered the question carefully. "Just call it a thank you for the help you gave me just now."

Jihoon scoffed, leaning back in his chair and yawning. Mingyu heard the pop of his spine, a clear indicator of how long the 25 year old had been bent over at his desk for. His eyes suddenly lit up, and he grabbed Mingyu's arm.

"I'll leave on one condition: you piggy back me out," Jihoon grinned, a mischievous glint returning to his eyes.

"Yeah, sure."

Jihoon's eyes widened in disbelief, hand falling onto his lap. "Really? You'd do that?"

Mingyu shrugged. "Yeah. Get your stuff and let's go."

Jihoon laughed, light and airy, and shoved the notebook he was writing in into his bag, slung the bag over his shoulders and grabbed the sweater that was balled up on the floor beside his desk.

"Shit, this is  _amazing_. Come on, horse, bend down." With Mingyu's shoulders as support, Jihoon jumped onto Mingyu's bag, laughing the whole time.

"Here, I'll carry your bag," Jihoon offered, a grin still on his face.

"That's awfully generous of you," Mingyu replied sarcastically, hands interlocking behind his back, under Jihoon's legs.

"Onward, steed!" Jihoon crowed, as Mingyu walked towards the lifts.

 

***

 

Mingyu took only one step out of the lift when he felt Jihoon's head loll and fall onto his right shoulder with a soft thud.

"Hey dude? You have to tell me where you live."

Jihoon didn't respond, and Mingyu groaned. He has heard rumours that Jihoon slept like the dead- and also stories of the cleaning staff walking in on him asleep at his desk, and running and screaming for help when he didn't wake after much prodding.

 _Fuck_ , Mingyu thought,  _why me?_

There was little choice left. Mingyu walked the two blocks to his apartment, and with Jihoon asleep on his back, went inside. He thanked the geniuses that invented the electronic lock so he didn't have to fumble with any keys or drop anyone. Specifically Jihoon.

Mingyu unloaded Jihoon onto his bed and took the bags off Jihoon's back, tossing them into a corner of his room. Mingyu managed to change into a shirt and boxer shorts before climbing onto the couch he had in his room, falling asleep face-first without a second thought for the imprints he would have on his face the next morning.

 

***

 

Mingyu was very rudely awakened by a jab to his neck. He sprung up, coughing.

"Your breath stinks."

Mingyu's vision cleared, and he groaned when he saw the head of pink standing over him.

"Anyway, thanks for dragging me away from my desk yesterday, Mingyu. I would still be working now, if it wasn't for you," Jihoon continued, smiling at Mingyu.

Mingyu blinked blearily at the suspiciously friendly face, and buried his face into the cushion of the couch, mumbling a muffled "you're welcome".

"Also, I already borrowed some of your toothpaste- didn't touch your toothbrush, don't worry- and took a shower. You should take one too, smelly."

Mingyu sighed and swung his legs over the side of the couch, sitting up sluggishly. He slowly made his way to the bathroom, eyes still half closed. He lifted the toilet cover, positioned himself, and-

"Fucking hell!" Mingyu screamed.

From outside the bathroom, he could hear Jihoon's hysterical laughter.  _That little bastard had covered the toilet seat with fucking plastic wrap._  Mingyu seethed at the mess he had to clean up, cursing Jihoon ten times to the deepest pits of hell as he wadded up tissues in his hand. He would have to mop the floor later.

 

***

 

Mingyu was judiciously ignoring Jihoon, who was wearing an appropriated white t-shirt from Mingyu's closet, the same jeans from the day before, and his sweater resting loosely on his shoulders.

Jihoon smirked when Mingyu exited the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist.

"I don't think we're committed enough in this relationship for me to see you naked," Jihoon said casually from his lean on the wall, fingers tapping on his phone.

Mingyu scowled, yanking on his underwear under his towel and pulling on his clothes rashly.

"Are you ignoring me? That's really mature of you, Mingyu-ah."

"Mature? You're the one who pulled a fucking high schooler's prank on me, you immature shit! Where did you even find plastic wrap in my house?" Mingyu whipped around, glaring at Jihoon.

Jihoon blinked owlishly at Mingyu's uncharacteristic outburst. Then, a smile spread across his lips. "It was only a little piss on the floor."

"A little? You try cleaning it up, then!"

"Whoa, we haven't even discussed kinks y-"

Mingyu interrupted Jihoon with a loud groan. "Please, just stop."

There was a moment of silence.

Jihoon slowly walked to Mingyu and slid his arms around his waist, resting his head against the taller man's chest.

"Hey dude, sorry. You know that I was only playing around, right?"

Mingyu was startled by this sudden show of affection. They barely shook hands before, let alone hugged. He hesitatingly rested his hands on Jihoon's back, staring down at him.

"Uh, yeah. I just lost my temper. Your pranks can be a bit… too much at times," Mingyu said, voice rough. He could feel the softness of the sweater against his forearms and the tickle of hair through his shirt.

They stood embraced for a few long seconds, before Jihoon stepped back, a forced smile on his face. "Let's go to work, yeah?"

 

***

 

The unspoken truce didn't last for long. Lunch found the two of them bickering in the break room, over the difficulty level of hacking a governmental site versus Samsung's databases.

"Uh, guys, what is the use of this argument?" Seokmin piped up from the unfortunate position of being at the seats opposite from them.

"To prove that he's wrong," Mingyu snapped at Seokmin. The latter visibly recoiled, glancing questioningly at his other colleagues, who could only offer a helpless shrug.

"Kim Mingyu, let's establish that, first of all, I am never wrong."

"Oh yeah? How about when-"

Seokmin caught sight of the president of the company entering the room and slapped a hand over Mingyu's mouth. Jihoon turned to glare at him, but it quickly faded when he saw his boss walking towards them, adopting a neutral expression instead.

"Ah, just the two men I wanted to see!" The president called out at their table.

Seokmin removed his hand from Mingyu's mouth, looking curiously at the president.

"Kim Mingyu and Lee Jihoon! I see that you both are well acquainted! I have a very special project for the both of you, if you would follow me to my office.

Mingyu and Jihoon hurriedly stood up, casting confused looks at each other, falling in step behind the president. The journey to the top floor was quiet and tense, and the atmosphere only got stiffer as they stepped into the president's office and each took a seat in front of the unnecessarily extravagant oak wood table.

"Now, what I am about to tell you is highly confidential. Do I have your promise that what I am about to say will not be revealed to anyone else, even if you reject this opportunity?"

The two men nodded.

The president smiled kindly. "This project is not 100% legal, per se, but it will bring in huge rewards. Are you still interested?"

Jihoon hesitated. "How illegal are we speaking of, sir?"

"Just a bit of trespassing- nothing that hasn't been done before," the president said vaguely, waving a hand flippantly in the air as if to wave away the question.

"What is the project?" Mingyu asked.

"Ah! I have a close friend who suspects his wife of cheating on him. He requested for our best investigators to collect photographic evidence of the infidelity," the president explained, hands gesturing wildly.

The tension seeped out of Mingyu. That was not as bad as he thought- nothing related to the mafia or to serious crime, thankfully. He glanced over at Jihoon, who similarly looked a lot more relaxed.

"Are you boys willing to take on this project?" The president spread his arms out, the same kind grin back on his face.

Mingyu and Jihoon shared a look. "Uh, yeah. We'll do it," Jihoon said unsurely.

"That's wonderful! I'll have my secretary deliver the files to your offices!" He clapped his hands, a signal for dismissal. Mingyu and Jihoon scrambled to their feet, bowing deeply before leaving, frowns on their faces.

"Are you also uneasy about this?" Mingyu asked as they took the lift down to the break room.

"Yeah," Jihoon frowned. "Spying on someone doesn't seem ethical, and it definitely isn't within our job scope. But our president had faith that we would do it, and I didn't dare reject him."

"Same."

The lift doors slid open.

"At least we are doing it together," Jihoon offered, smiling tentatively at Mingyu.

Mingyu barked out a surprised laugh and slung his arm around Jihoon's shoulders. "There's that, I suppose."


	2. "You'll have to keep your head about far worse things."

When the two men entered the office building together, Jihoon wearing pants that were rolled up multiple times at the cuffs, it didn’t go unnoticed. It was no secret that Jihoon got into a fair number of spats- including the Stapler Incident of 2014 where Jihoon threw a stapler at Mingyu and managed to nail the side of his head, resulting in a mild concussion and a low of swearing. As a result, seeing the two walking in while holding an amiable conversation was not only a surprise, but a seeming miracle- especially to the employees who had witnessed their fights or had been caught in the crossfire of one.

A low wolf whistle sounded as Jihoon and Mingyu walked past the reception desk, where Seungkwan was milling, eyes bright and trailing after them. Jihoon huffed and lowered his head, picking at the edge of his shirt.

“Are you okay?” Mingyu asked, seeing Jihoon almost retract into himself. Jihoon did not reply, but instead picked up his pace, making a beeline towards the elevators. Mingyu rolled his eyes, but followed suit, making it just before the doors slid shut.

“Okay, what’s up with you? You were fine just a minute ago?” Mingyu demanded. Jihoon sighed, and crossed his arms.

“Nothing, just-" he sighed again, and ruffled his hair exasperatedly. “I’m so sick of this place. It’s not you, don’t get me wrong. I could be doing so much more. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I guess this morning the thought is just a bit heavier.”

Mingyu was silent for a few seconds, observing how Jihoon had his head hung low, studiously staring at the floor of the elevator. “What is it that you want to do? You know, that is more than this.”

Jihoon’s head snapped up, and he blushed. “Uh, it’s not very- not very practical. You’d find it stupid.”

“I won’t. Come on, you can trust me,” Mingyu coaxed.

Jihoon hesitated for a moment, but it seemed like Mingyu’s words had unlocked a chest in Jihoon, and the words spilled out. “It’s producing, and singing, and dancing. It’s music, and I want to be a performer. It’s very stupid, I know, and it’s probably never going to happen- I’m not that good, anyway,” Jihoon took a deep breath. “I just want to get away from this detective bullshit- I’m so sick of sitting at my desk and looking at numbers instead of scores, and staring at nothing when I could be practicing or composing or dancing, and I’m just so-“ Jihoon sucked in another shuddering breath, visibly holding himself  back.

Mingyu took the single step needed to cross the space between the two men, and wrapped his arms around Jihoon, chin resting on top of his head. Jihoon slowly put his arms around Mingyu, sniffling softly, as if he did not want Mingyu to hear.

“Hey, Jihoon,” Mingyu muttered. “We are going to make your dream come true.”

The elevator doors slid open, and Jihoon hurriedly stopped back, dragging his sleeves over his eyes. His nose was red, and Mingyu could not help but want to sweep him back into his arms and hug him until he felt better.

Jihoon, before entering his office, turned back to smile at Mingyu- a soft, genuine smile that brightened his face, his eyes crinkling at the corners. His nose was still blushed, and Mingyu thought that he was beautiful.

“Thank you, Mingyu.”

Mingyu smiled back, and Jihoon waved, disappearing behind the door. He knew that in these short three days, the two men have suddenly become a lot closer.

 

***

 

Mingyu was determined to make Jihoon’s dream a reality. So, as he sat down on his office hair, he pushed his work aside and picked up his phone, dialling a number.

“Hey, Soonyoung, it’s me, Mingyu.”

“What’s up?”

“I’m calling in a favour. I have this friend who really wants to be in the music industry- compose, sing, dance, all of it. Do you think that you could pull some strings, get him started- put him on your radio show or in your studio, something?”

Soonyoung laughed. “That’s not easy to do, Mingyu-ah. I’m only the emcee, not the director- I cannot decide to put a nobody on my show. As for my studio, the most I can do is offer him classes. But I don’t think he wants to do that either.”

“Are you sure?” Mingyu asked, desperation seeping into his voice. Soonyoung was the only person he knew who was anywhere remotely close to the music industry.

“I can offer his dance classes if he’s up for that- and, let me think. I have a friend who is looking for live entertainment in this hipster bar that owns. If he can really sing, maybe I can push his hand a little.”

Mingyu brightened up. He was not sure of Jihoon’s abilities- having never heard him sing nor seen him dance before, but he was sure that Jihoon would not have aimless aspirations. “That’s amazing, Soonyoung! Thank you- I owe you one.”

“You owe me more than one, Mingyu,” Soonyoung laughed, and Mingyu could hear the joking tone in his voice. He said goodbye and hung up, itching to tell Jihoon the news. But, he wanted his plans to be more finalized before he told Jihoon anything. So, he dragged his computer keyboard closer to himself and began typing.

 

***

 

It was nearly 3pm when Mingyu burst into Jihoon’s office, a wide smile across his face. Jihoon looked up, annoyed and ready to bark at whoever interrupted his work. However, upon seeing Mingyu, he scoffed and waved him in.

“What do you want?”

“I have some amazing news, Jihoon-ah!” Mingyu said excitedly, plopping down on the couch Jihoon had in the corner of his office. Jihoon made a vague hand motion, signalling for Mingyu to continue.

“So, I spoke to my friend who is an amazing dance choreographer, and he offered to give you dance classes- but that’s not it. He has a gig for you- a live show at this bar that his friend owns- you can perform, Jihoon-ah!” Mingyu exclaimed, waving his hands animatedly.

Jihoon was frozen, head still bowed over his notebook.

“Jihoon? Did you hear what I said? You are going to perform!” Mingyu stood and prodded Jihoon’s shoulder.

Jihoon turned to look at Mingyu, his eyes blown wide.

“Holy shit- that’s, that’s fucking amazing. Oh my god, Mingyu- you are amazing,” Jihoon’s voice was just above a whisper. “My hands are shaking, can you see? Holy fucking shit, thank you so much.” He shot up, hugging Mingyu tightly.

Mingyu laughed, hugging Jihoon back.

“I told you that we were going to make your dream come true. Trust me, yeah?”

 

***

 

Jihoon was visibly nervous as he and Mingyu stood outside the building that loudly proclaimed “HOSHI Dance Studio on the SECOND FLOOR”. It was obvious that he had put effort into his looks that day- his hair was styled back, and he was wearing a soft jumper that was pushed up to his elbows. Mingyu offered his hand, and smiled reassuringly at Jihoon.

“Ready?”

Jihoon breathed in shakily and took Mingyu’s hand.

“No, but it’s now or never.”

Jihoon was pleasantly surprised by Soonyoung. He was expecting someone with a stern and hard face, but Soonyoung had a friendly appearance and a pleasantly handsome face. Mingyu had long since let go of Jihoon’s hand, but Jihoon suddenly wanted Mingyu back by his side. Soonyoung looked nice enough, but he still had a powerful aura around him.

Mingyu greeted Soonyoung cheerfully, nudging Jihoon forward. “This is Jihoon! He’ll be learning from you today.”

“Hey!” Soonyoung stuck a hand out for Jihoon to shake. Jihoon wiped his palms on his pants and took his hand, hoping that his grip was not too weak. “I’m excited to be working with you today- but let’s see how you move first.”

He knew that he was going to have to dance but he felt his heart thump extra hard at Soonyoung’s words. Soonyoung put on a song- Usher’s _I Don’t Mind_ \- and Jihoon took a deep breath and shook out his limbs, trying to get a feel for the song. He was never the best at freestyle, but he wanted to impress Soonyoung. As he moved, he stared at himself steadfastly in the mirror, feeling Soonyoung’s and Mingyu’s eyes on him.

“He’s good,” Mingyu whispered to Soonyoung, but Jihoon heard and faltered, tripping over his feet and stumbling a few steps forward. He blushed and stammered out an apology, but Soonyoung shook his head.

“He’s right, you’re good. You have a very good groove- it makes you very attractive to watch. Your moves need variation, and you need more strength- especially in your arms and your core, but it’s a good foundation you have there,” Soonyoung patted Jihoon on the shoulder. Mingyu let out a whoop and clapped encouragingly.

“Ah- thank you,” Jihoon laughed, feeling more confident at Soonyoung’s compliments.

“How about we continue working with that song, and we come up with some killer choreo to it?” Soonyoung grinned, restarting the song and setting it to play on loop. Soonyoung’s body may have been stiff and blocky when he was standing, but as he started dancing, he was one fluid movement of graceful motion. Jihoon stared in awe, mouth hanging open dumbly.

“Did you catch that?” Soonyoung stopped after the chorus, panting slightly. He laughed again- Jihoon really liked his laugh- and clapped a hand on Jihoon’s back. “That’s alright, we’ll work through it slowly.”

“Okay, so the first move is-” Soonyoung did a slow hip roll, then a quick step, his arms following smoothly. Jihoon attempted to mimic Soonyoung’s moves, looking at him for approval after.

“Good, but your hips are a bit too stiff- here,” Soonyoung stepped behind Jihoon and placing his hands on Jihoon’s hips, a warm weight that made Jihoon shiver. He never knew dancing was so intimate, and he was suddenly very aware that Mingyu was watching them.

“You are going to have to bend your knees a little- that’s right- and you have to isolate your hips from your waist. The trick is to keep your upper body still while you move your lower body. When you’re actually dancing, you can move your shoulders to make it more sexy, but for now, just try to isolate your hips.”

Jihoon hesitated. Soonyoung’s hands were still firm on his hips, and he could feel his heart thudding and Mingyu’s gaze from across the room. He slowly moved his hips in a circle, staring at his movement in the mirror and trying very hard to concentrate on his own body.

“You’ve got it!” Soonyoung cheered, clapping, and Jihoon’s hips felt cold where Soonyoung’s hands once were. He chided himself internally, and rationalized that it was because he has not had a partner for a few years now- too distracted by work to go meet anyone outside of the office.

They’ve worked through a verse and a chorus by the time an hour had passed and Soonyoung had to end the lesson to head to another. Jihoon was sweaty, but at his happiest for the first time in a long while.

“Hey, so you’ve heard about that gig at the bar right? Do you mind if you sing a song, just so that I know that you are not shit?” Soonyoung teased.

Jihoon felt his stomach turn, but he cleared his throat and stood a little straighter, smoothing his hair back. “Uh, I’ll sing Geeks’ _Officially Missing You_.”

“ _Neol gidarideon bamcheoreom gilgo eodupdeon uri sai gongbaek. Ige kkeuchi anigil barae, I wanna go back. Neoga wonhadeon geo, da gochin jigeumeya? Neon eodiro ganneunji, nan hollo nama lonely_.”

“Wow,” Mingyu said breathlessly as Jihoon ended off the song.

“Wow,” Soonyoung echoed, eyes shining. “You’re amazing- you’re definitely getting the job. Your voice- it’s so beautiful. I really hope you know that.”

“Thank you,” Jihoon smiled, feeling even lighter and even happier in that bright studio.

 

***

 

Mingyu loved Soonyoung, but he was a little tired of hearing Jihoon talk non-stop about him. Ever since that day at the dance studio, the two have taken to spending their lunch breaks together. Also, ever since that day, Soonyoung and Jihoon had exchanged numbers and were apparently texting each other every second of the day, judging by the amount of time Jihoon spent staring at his phone.

“Hey dude, did you hear what I said?” Mingyu waved a hand in front of Jihoon’s face.

“Sorry, I was just talking to Soonyoung about this dance video that he showed me earlier today,” Jihoon replied absent-mindedly, tapping a few more words then placing his phone down, face up. “What’s up?”

“You’ve been talking to Soonyoung a lot lately, huh?”

“Yeah,” Jihoon smiled, as if Soonyoung’s name triggered it. “He’s really funny, and has really great taste in music too. Did you know that he also emcees at-“

“Andromeda,” Mingyu interrupted. “I know; I’ve known him for four years.”

Jihoon smiled regardless and took a bite of his rice.

“Do you like him?” Mingyu asked, eyes not meeting Jihoon’s.

“Huh? Of course I like him! He’s a great guy,” Jihoon replied, oblivious to Mingyu’s implications.

Mingyu sighed and picked at his wrap. He didn’t know why he was feeling so bitter about the whole matter- it was not like he owned either Jihoon or Soonyoung. But he thought, having known Jihoon for much longer than Soonyoung had, he would be the one in Soonyoung’s place. Granted, he and Jihoon did spend much of their acquaintance bickering and initiating prank wars, but they barely texted, except to ask where the other was if they were not in their office before lunch.

Mingyu considered why he was so hung up about it. _Could it be that I’m jealous?_ He asked himself. _What is there to be jealous of? It’s not like we’re not friends._

He took a large bite of his wrap and shoved the question to the back of his head, engaging Jihoon in a conversation about the latest episode of _Come to Play_ , taking his chance to talk to him before Soonyoung replied Jihoon’s text.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone who have read this story! I'm working on improving my writing (and I will hopefully be posting more frequently after my exams!).


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